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Posted on 07/10/2026 12:56:21 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
StormWall, which involves school-bus-size satellites and a whole lot of salt, could provide an ionic ‘air bag’ for the Earth
It’s the year 2040, and the Big One—a civilization-smashing solar storm of a scale not seen since the 19th century—is on a collision course with Earth.
Far out in space, where geostationary satellites orbit, a half-dozen school-bus-size satellites crack open and start dumping barium, lithium or sodium. Within minutes, sunlight transforms this material into an ionized gas shield that slows the oncoming massive blob of plasma.
Down on our planet’s surface, a would-be global catastrophe—potentially knocking out entire electrical grids—is reduced to a nighttime display for anyone who cares to look up and see the Northern Lights.
Even its name, StormWall, sounds like science fiction, but authorities on space weather say it could work, mitigating an event that happens, they estimate, once a century. The trio of scientists who conceived of it say an international coalition could build such a system with existing or soon-to-arrive technology.
Back-of-the-envelope math suggests it could cost tens of billions of dollars. Yet with all of the electronics on Earth that increasingly govern our lives, and ever more infrastructure being put into orbit, from internet-delivering satellites to AI-training data centers, spending that much could be a no-brainer, says StormWall co-designer Brian Walsh, an associate professor of engineering at Boston University.
“A 100-year [solar] storm could cause huge power outages over entire continents,” says Walsh, adding that such an event could damage space-based data centers and missile-defense systems. “If the cost is less than sending people to the moon, and people do the math, it will make sense in the very near future,” he adds.
The solar wind
For decades, scientists have studied the interaction between the Earth’s protective magnetosphere—generated by its...
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
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Is mankind worth saving?
Ohhh noooo!
Tough call.
The pending reversal continues to weaken our electromagnetic field that is protecting us. A normal CME could cause wide spread damage before then.
Earth’s magnetic field is weakening. It won’t save us forever.
Thanks for the ping. I don’t care much for the Internet. But have been on FreeRepublic for 25 years. Not sure what I would do without the sane-madness of FReepers comments on science and daily events.
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Thanks for the links! I have not seen this web site before.
The Sun is much too dangerous to have in the solar system.
Uh, solar umbrellas? 🚀🤔
Oh, what could possibly go wrong.
The latest whackadoodle plan. Idk…if Musk gets behind it, maybe…
Hmm... Block it and cement in a surveillance state dystopian nightmare or get hit and have the cleansing EM “rain” wash the digital trash away...
Screening experiments are relatively cheap. They often reveal more questions than answers. That’s a good thing. It is a problem that needs solving.
A super-volcano OTOH looks a little father out of reach.
p
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